Sandy Brownscombe

“My desire is to assist students become teachers who teach boldly in a changing world through an ethic of care and critical reflection (EMU Education conceptual framework). Starting in Exploring Teaching I begin to help students understand that the ethic of care is a personal action that is strengthened through critical reflection. I view technology within the P-12 setting as a means to enhance learning, to create equitable learning opportunities and to communicate with people outside of the classroom. In Computers in Education I provide my students with a functional knowledge of technology that enables them continue to learn and develop knowledge and skills throughout their professional lives.
As a physical educator I believe in movement education and Teaching Games for Understanding Approach (or Tactical Games). Both approaches have constructivist underpinnings and provide developmentally appropriate learning and assessment opportunities. At EMU tactical games are divided into the following categories: Net games, Territorial games, and Target and Fielding games. Each tactical games lesson includes a tactical problem to be solved, a small-sided game one, questions relevant to game one and the tactical problem, a practice task(s), small-sided game two and concluding questions. Students learn the concepts and the skills of the sports in an integrated fashion and a tactical games lesson meets the characteristics of a good game identified by Hastie (2010) in Student-designed games: Strategies for promoting creativity, cooperation, and skill development:

Contribute to skill development;

Be safe;

Include, not eliminate, students from participation (elimination makes almost no pedagogical sense when one considers that the most likely students to be eliminated are those who have the least skill and in fact need the most practice);

Have high participation rates; and

Be structured so that all children are successful and are being challenged. (p. 6)

If you need a reason for having sweet dreams, think of your best student. If you need a reason to get out of bed in the morning, think of your worst one Author Unknown"

Sandy Brownscombe earned her Ed.D. from Argosy University/Sarasota, where her dissertation work focused on how second and third-year teachers develop and demonstrate caring in their classrooms. She serves as Coordinator of Field Experiences for the education department. A member of the faculty since 1978, Sandy has taught in the Physical Education Department and in 1991 began teaching in the Education Department. She coached field hockey, women’s basketball, and men’s volleyball and is a member of the EMU Athletics Hall of Honor. Sandy serves as EMU’s representative on the Mid-Valley Clinical Faculty Consortium for Teacher Education Steering Committee. She will serve as a member of the Association of Teacher Educator Board of Directors until February 2016.

Education

Ed. D. in K-12 Curriculum and Instruction, Argosy University/Sarasota, May 2004, Dissertation Title: Infusing An Ethic Of Care In A P-12 Learning Community: A Case Study Of Second And Third-Year Teachers

Master of Science in Physical Education, Washington State University, August 1978

Bachelor of Arts, University of Northern Colorado, June 1973, Nk-12 Endorsement in Health and Physical Education

From student teacher to beginning teacher: Clinical faculty supports that help beginning teachers. A Virginia Department of Education Mentor Teacher/Clinical Faculty Grant with the Institutions of Higher Education of the MidValley Consortium for Teacher Education and Augusta County Schools. 2006-2007

Association of Teacher Educators Leadership Academy 2006 Cohort

Inductions into the Eastern Mennonite University Athletic Hall of Honor, Harrisonburg, VA, Individual Induction October 9, 2004. 1980 Field Hockey Team Induction October 13, 2012. EMU Hall of Honor